Bowling equipment



Patented Feb. l27, 1940 -UNTE STATES PATENTl FFICE l 'v 2,191,439 n i f BowLiNo EQUIPMENT W. Brookfield, Toronto, Ontario, Canaille..I Appliatimsptember 16, i938, serialN. 230,196 y,

4 claims. 01.' 27s-+51) Thisinvention relates to an equipment designed to combine the interest.` of those who are interested ijn lawn-bowling andthose Who are interested in alley bowling and the object of the inventlon; is to provide Van equipment which'lwill combine certain features of both types of bowling.

The; principal featuresaof the invention consist inthe novel construction of a bowling alleyk in which a grass-covered ,greenj enclosed bet,ween parellelly arranged side boundaries, has arranged at one end a delivery mat from which the bowls are delivered, and at the other end of said green there is provided an adjustableplate upon which pins are mounted, a pit `,being arranged` beyond the, pin plate in the form of an inclined surface to receive the bowls andy pins, gutters being provided on Aeither side of the green and at thev end of the pit. Y

ln the accompanyingdrawing,.,Eigure 1 is a p lan View of my improved bowling equipment.

Eigurev 2 is;4 a longitudinal broken section of rolled over this hardwood surface to strike the pins. rIhis game is played indoors and is usually restricted to being played in the winter months.

Lawn bowling differs considerably from alley bowling in that the game is played upon a lawn or green with bowlswhich are biased, that is to say, they are not spherical but are attened on one side and consequently loaded off centre so that they will roll with an inward or outward curve according to their manner of delivery toward the object ball or kitty The present invention has been devised to create a conibinationof these two games.

it is well known that the cost of building and maintaining bowling greens is quite expensive. The entire area, which is usually square so. that rinks can be played in either direction thereon, requires thev entire surface to be perfectly level and it will be understood that this requires continuous care in surfacing and rolling.

The present invention proposes the construction and maintenance of greens confined to individual units for each rink or alley and in constructing the rinks excavations are made in the ground surface for a depth of approximately eighteen inches in theform cfa long, narrowr 'trench I which will be vapproximately seven feet wide. and fifty feet long, thoughthese dimensions may be varied as'may be desired. Instead of a.

trench side walls lIamay be used.

"n', the bottom of this' trench'there is placed `a bed ofr loose'material 2 such as gravel rfor a depth of about eight inches and over this is laid, foraV depthof about ten inches, a suitable grasssupporting base Sfmade. preferably of a mixture,A of: good loam, sharp sand kand rotted manure in about equal proportions. A topfcovering of grass is produced', either by seeding or sodding, but

` preferably sodding'to `'provide a well` developed root. base. l

On. either side of this long, narrow .green is arrangedl a pairy of shallowjgutters t to receive bowling balls 'whichf may over-run the sides of face of which isvlower than the top of the built-up green 3. a A platform 9, preferablyl formed of a thick laminated wood sheetvpreferably surfaced 0n top with a steel plate I0 covered withy a suitable rubber surfacing lmat I I, is mountedfabove the rectangularfoundation 1 and iis provided along its longitudinal sides with apron strips I2, which may be of Wood or any other suitabley material. These apron strips extend downwardly from the platform 9 a considerable distance below the top of `the concrete foundation rand a guard strip I3 is arranged to extend transverselyOf the gree to engage the outward side of the strip I2 adjacent tothe green, thus providing a recess in which the strip I2 may operate vertically while preventing entryvof the` grass-supporting base` between the platform Sand foundation I The platform 9 is preferably supported a short distance above the top of the foundation by suitable jack screws I4 which maybe manipulated from the end so as" toraise or lower the platform to adjust it to the height of the sod of the green 3 so that the bowls which are rolled over the sod, will roll smoothly onto' the top surface of the platform. l

The surface mat ofthe platform 9 is provided with suitable pin spots I5 which may be ve or In playing the game on this device it is preferred to use biased bowls. The long narrow green structure enables the maintenance of the surface in a level condition without regard to other and similar greens that may be arranged alongside of same and the provision of a concrete slab supporting a mat surface at the play--y ing end, together with a heavy concrete mass with its adjustable platform at the opposite end, obviates the diiculties met with in the maintenance of the grass surface at the two points of play.

It will be readily understood that the niceties of the game of bowls on a grass green may thus be combined with the features of alley bowling,

The shape and arrangement of the pit to receive the bowls and the pins may be altered to suit requirements, and a suitable bowl-returning. trackway I8 to return the bowls to the delivery end may be arranged.

As intimated, the greens may be built up l above the ground surface by using longitudinal side retaining walls spaced and supported by cross ties Ib. By raising the green structure above the ground surface the problem of drainage f the greens is taken care of in a very simple manner and the structure is very easy to install.

. What I claim as my invention is:

1. A bowling equipment comprising a long,

narrow green of natural grass having a supporting base of shiftable material, a rigid foundation at green end of said green, an adjustable platform mounted on said foundation to support pins at the said end of the green, and means for preventing entry of said greensupportin`g base below said platform in its various adjusted positions.

2. A bowling equipment comprising a channel having a drainage foundation, such as gravel, a bed of grass arranged over said gravel including a soft supporting base, gutters enclosing the longitudinal edges of said grass-covered portion, said channel including retaining walls extending above the foundation and confining said soft grass-supporting base against spreading into said gutters, a delivery platform arranged at oneend of said grass-covered portion, a rm foundation at the opposite end of said grass-covered portion, a platform mounted on said foundation and capable of vertical movement in relation thereto, means for raising and lowering the said platform, and means for preventing spreading of the soft grass-supporting base under said platform.

3. A bowling equipment comprising a long, narrow green having a supporting base of a material subject to spreading, a bowl-delivering platform arranged at one end of said green a rectangular foundation arranged at the other end of said green, a platform arranged above said foundation and having members depending from the sides thereof forming guards, and adjusting means mounted on said foundation and engaging and supporting said platform in an adjusted position relative to the green, one of said guard members forming a barrier between the platform and foundation to prevent spreading of the ,greensupporting base between the platform and foundation.

4. Equipment as claimed in claim 2 in which tie rods extend between said retaining walls below said grass strip for bracing the walls against spreading. i

EDWIN W. BROOKFIELD. 

